My Pad

I've posted some photos of my apartment here in Japan, in case any of you are curious just what one might look like. Enjoy!

This is my apartment building. It is teacher's housing, so most of the people who live here work at my school. It's big and concrete, but there are many families with kids, so it seems kind of homey.























This is my front door. I think the blue is very cheerful.

This is my entranceway. I leave my shoes here and walk around barefoot in the rest of the apartment. Interestingly, this recessed area is technically public property and if you leave the door unlocked, people are allowed to enter. Who knew?
















This is my kitchen. I haven't yet mastered the garbage collection system yet, so it's sort of a "walk-in trashcan" at the moment. Nevertheless, it's very large, has a lot of cool dishes, and has tons of shelving for plates and spicy condiments. Everything is gas, from hot water to the stove.
















This is my extra bedroom. These units were designed to hold families, but since I am decidedly without family here, I keep it closed off as the "East Wing"
















Here is my living room. This is where I spend most of my time. It's a pretty comfortable place to sit. I rearranged it a little bit, so I'm fairly proud of myself.
















This is my bedroom. I like it because it's nice and simple. I sleep directly on the floor on a futon. The floor is covered in soft "tatami" mats and so the whole effect is actually very comfortable.
















Here is my bathtub and shower. I take showers here sometimes standing up, sometimes sitting down, depending on my mood. Haven't yet tried taking a bath; perhaps in the winter.























This is my laundry facility. To rinse dry the clothes, I use the spinner, which operates at extraordinarily high RPM and sounds not unlike a jet engine.


















This is my trusty steed. I use this to get to work every day. It belongs to someone who works at the school, so I really need to get my own and soon. I've come to like it though.
















This is the view from the stairwell looking east towards the main part of the city. I feel like I'm sort of on the outskirts, but it's hard to tell sometimes.